300x250 AD TOP

Friday, February 24, 2012

I Need Friends Friday: My Muse

(Every Friday I interview a different person and share that
interview with you. Perhaps they will be a fellow-author. Perhaps one of
my neighbors. Maybe the bagger at the grocery store. A member of my
family. A follower of this blog. Maybe it will be you! Hey, it could happen.)

In ancient Greece, the Muses were the patron goddesses of the arts. They were believed to be responsible for inspiring sculptors to sculpt, dancers to dance, painters to paint, writers to write, musicians to... musicify. To this day, those who pursue the creative arts refer to their muse, that something in them that drives them to create, that inspires their pursuits. We all have one, and we all have a love-hate relationship with our muse.

Today, you get to meet mine.

SME: Welcome to I Need Friends Friday.

Muse: I am pleased to be here.

SME: I am rather pleased you are here,
as well. Not to start this off on an overly critical footing, but you
don’t always show up when you are scheduled to.

Muse:
Say what you will, I actually do write
the songs. I’m a muse. It’s what I do.

SME:
Wait. I thought you were a literary muse.

Muse:
There’s been downsizing. Muses are having to expand their clientele
beyond a single art form.

SME:
*growing a bit alarmed* You mean you aren’t just my
muse? I thought we had an exclusive thing going on here.

Muse:
Perhaps you won’t be so critical when I can’t show up at 3 in the
morning for a writing session just because you’re awake and have
nothing better to do.

SME:
Showing up when a client is trying to be creative is your job.

Muse:
Writing is your job,
but you haven’t done a whole lot of that lately, have you?

SME:
Hmm. Wonder why that is? Maybe it has something to do with my no-show
muse.

Muse:
*mutters* Why are artistic types so high maintenance?

SME:
Are you calling me a drama queen?

Muse:
Your wording, not mine.

SME:
Look, this whole “I write the songs” thing goes both ways, ya
know. You bring the inspiration, we “artistic types” do the work.
But you have to actually show up for that to happen.

Muse:
It also helps if the “artistic type” isn’t on Facebook during
our creative sessions.

SME:
*ahem* So, any advice for other authors who are struggling to really
connect with their muse?

Muse:
Yes. For one thing, this disconnect is seldom the muse’s fault.

SME:
*under breath* Says the muse.

Muse:
For another thing, authors can only blame so much on their muse. Just
the other day I was at Muse-Con and I attended a session entitled
“They Always Blame the Muse.” Turns out the phrase “I would
have done some work on my project today, but my muse wasn’t
cooperating” is a universal excuse, translatable into every
language, both modern and ancient.

SME:
Okay. Wait. I’m still stuck on “I was at Muse-Con.” There’s a
convention for muses?

Muse:
Why shouldn’t there be? Authors have conventions. Comic book
collectors have conventions. Devotees of science-fiction themed
television programs have conventions. Muses need each other, too. We,
after all, have to deal with—

SME: I
know, I know. —with “artistic types”

Muse:
Artistic types who see us as easy scapegoats for their own
procrastination and lack of discipline.

SME:
Was there also a session at Muse-Con entitled “How to Start Taking
Responsibility for Your Own Poor Job Performance Instead of Resorting to Stereotypical Complaints
About Your Clientele,” or “Throwing Vaguely Insulting
Insinuations at Your Client’s Head is Not the Best Approach to
Maintaining a Healthy Muse-Client Relationship,” because those
could be really useful classes.

Muse:
Word to the wise, my high-maintenance friend: don’t ever tempt a
muse to give you the cold shoulder.

SME:
Point taken.

Muse:

SME:
Still there?

Muse:

SME:
*plays Chariots of Fire and runs in place, slow motion*

Muse:

SME: *plays I Write the Songs and tries to smile through the pain*

Muse:

SME: Ah, crumb.*cue exit music*Well, this has been “I Need Friends Friday.” Now, if
you’ll excuse me, I have a muse to placate.

If you'd like to be interviewed for I Need Friends Friday, shoot me off an email: friends at sarahmeden dot com!I
am looking for anyone and everyone, whether or not you think you are
interesting. You'll get a fantastic stick figure portrait of yourself, a
little promotion (if you're looking for that sort of thing) and the
opportunity to tell your friends and family that you've been interviewed
by SME, er... by ME!

On the internet "I need my muse," sometimes means, "I'm out of ideas for my staff writers to develop and I'm down to my last million," so my new motto is, "I need my typewriter." Plus....my real muse threw another woman in my face and she can have him. I wish him many years of inspiration with her.